


Whenever Is Good

by floweranza



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Drabble, Future Fic, Gen, Male Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-20
Updated: 2011-11-20
Packaged: 2017-10-26 08:34:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/280938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/floweranza/pseuds/floweranza
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aiba sees Nino about 19 days a year.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Whenever Is Good

Aiba sees Nino about 19 days a year.

Nino sends him little messages from wherever he is, though, bite-sized things with as many exclamation marks as he can use without it being too silly; they don't hold Nino's voice but they hold his warmth and his wit, and although it's not a replacement for Nino Aiba is still glad to receive them.

Sometimes he sends pictures: a large American hamburger, and then a small American salad, a bowl of Italian ice cream - then when Aiba says he's getting sick of the food, Nino sends him photos of zoos and people feeding giraffes. Because Nino is still himself and acerbic, sometimes he sends close-ups of kangaroos that make Aiba jump when he's surreptitiously checking his phone in a big meeting.

Out of the 19 days a year, about half of them are for occasions where they're called back as Arashi for TV, and about half of them are occasions where they gather as Arashi because they're lonely. During those times they drink up and poke at each other's enlarging bellies, sway shoulder-to-shoulder singing their own songs. Aiba hugs them all as he lets go; he bumps fists with Nino and sometimes drives him to the airport. Nino is still not a safe driver.

When Nino sends him a photo of his first gray hair, plucked out disdainfully while he's sitting in some airport somewhere and held out in front of his eternally young face, Aiba bursts out laughing and sets it as the wallpaper on his phone.

Aiba used to see Nino about 300 days a year, maybe more or maybe less.

They're all past 40 and pushing fifty. Some of them have stayed and some have left; Nino now flies around the world on different projects and can speak passable English, and he teaches Aiba dirty words because at heart they're still young enough to be stupid.

Sometimes Aiba takes the train home from Tokyo, although his parents' restaurant is now closed, and leans his face against the glass. If he closes his eyes he can see their reflections, 14 years old and laughing, him and Nino, and he smiles and breathes out.


End file.
